Who Is Responsible For The Death Of Our Messiah Jesus?

In the past sometimes the Jews have been blamed for killing Jesus. This has been the cause of much anti-Semitism. There are at least seven different parties involved in the death of Jesus.

The First Party: God

The Bible teaches that God is all knowing and all powerful. Nothing catches Him by surprise and nothing is out of His control.

Consistent with this Bible teaching, we learn from Acts 2:23 that Yeshua (Jesus) was “delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” and put to death.
Furthermore, Acts 4:27 tells us that the death of the Messiah was “whatever Your (God’s) hand and Your (God’s) purpose predestined to occur.”

His death was planned by God from the beginning. For this reason the sufferings of the Messiah could be predicted through the writings of the prophets. Yeshua affirmed the prediction factor when He when He stated “…all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled-Luke 24:44.” This included His suffering and death. (Also see Isa. 52:13-53:12 and Jn. 3:16) Thus, God bears responsibility for the death of Yeshua.

The Second Party: Satan

The origin of sin and rebellion is found in the mind of God’s most beautiful and intelligent creation (Ezekiel 28).
The unrighteousness found in Satan is revealed in Isaiah 14:13-14. Satan desired a position greater than he already possessed. God promised that he would be judged by the coming Messiah in Genesis 3:15.

From that point on Satan knew that the only way to avoid God’s judgment was to destroy the coming Messiah. This relentless and futile goal is revealed graphically in Revelation 12:4b.

When Yeshua died, Satan thought he had succeeded in devouring the Messiah. However, all Satan did was fulfill the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 and insure his own condemnation.

The Third Party: The World

The world is responsible for the death of Yeshua. The Scripture speaks for itself on this issue.

John 7:7: "The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil."

John 15:18: "If the world hates you, you know it hated Me before it hated you."

The evil world system, controlled by the prince of this world, stands in opposition to God, His Messiah, and those who are “in Messiah.” As a result, the world persecuted Yeshua (Jn. 15:20).

The Fourth Party: The Romans

In Acts 2:23, Peter is telling about the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah. Here he holds the Roman government responsible. The Roman government and its representative are grouped under the label “godless men.” Later in Acts 4:27, Peter makes the association very specific by naming the key officials involved.

It also becomes clearer that the Romans also represent the entire Gentile world at large.

Here we see the mystery of God’s omniscience and man’s free will. Acts 2:23 states that the death of Yeshua was the “predetermined plan” of God. God knew all about it. Because of His “foreknowledge” He was not taken by surprise. Moreover, at the same time, human beings are held accountable for their deliberate decisions, decisions that implemented the Divine plan. Both doctrines are taught in Scripture, and both doctrines must be equally affirmed. It should be becoming apparent that the death of Messiah is a very complex event in which the Jewish community cannot be made into the sole, convenient scapegoat.

The Fifth Party: The Jewish People

It is true that the Jewish community must accept a share of the responsibility for Yeshuah's death. In Acts 2, Peter is speaking to the “men of Israel.” He tells these devout men that “you nailed (Yeshua) to the cross" (V.23).

The Sixth Party: Yeshua Jesus

In John 10: 1-18, Yeshua identifies Himself as the “Good Shepherd” who “lays down His life for the sheep” (V.11 and 15). Moreover, this is totally under His control, power, and desire.

I lay down my life (crucifixion) that I might take it up again (resurrection).

I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down.

Yeshua takes upon Himself appropriate responsibility for the experience of the cross.

The Seventh Party: You

The Bible says that Yeshua died for your personal sins and my personal sins. Each one of us is personally responsible for what happened to our Savior. Bible verses like Romans 3:23, Romans 4:25, and Romans 5:6 help to explain this. Perhaps Romans 5:8 says it best:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us: in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)